CN112290265A

CN112290265A - Female power contact

Info

Publication number: CN112290265A
Application number: CN202010703006.0A
Authority: CN
Inventors: P·卡佩; A·埃尔曼法洛蒂
Original assignee: Aptiv Technologies Ltd
Current assignee: Aptiv Technologies Ltd
Priority date: 2019-07-22
Filing date: 2020-07-21
Publication date: 2021-01-29
Also published as: FR3099303B1; FR3099303A1

Abstract

The invention relates to a female power contact capable of receiving a male power contact for electrical connection in a connection direction (A). The female contact (1) comprises a body (4) and a bottom (5). The body (4) comprises a shaft (6) at the rear, from which shaft (6) elastically flexible ribs (7) extend longitudinally towards the front end. At least one rib (7) comprises a radially thinned section (17) at its base (11) at its junction with the shaft (6).

Description

Female power contact

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of automotive connector systems, and more particularly to the field of power connector systems for motor vehicles.

Background

In the field of motor vehicles, and in particular in the field of electric vehicles, hybrid vehicles or rechargeable hybrid vehicles, large currents may be transmitted through power circuits (of the vehicle itself or connected to the vehicle) and/or cable networks, such as through those elements interconnected with each other (such as charging stations, batteries, electric motors, voltage converters, etc.). When it is necessary to incorporate connectors into cable networks intended to transmit high currents, these connectors must be equipped with terminals or contacts of sufficiently large size and cross section to transmit these high currents without overheating. For this purpose, the contacts of today's power connectors are usually machined, for example by bar turning from solid copper bars.

In certain applications, for example in charging sockets intended for quick charging, the motor vehicle power connector system industry requires the connection of contacts to cables of increasing cross section. It also requires contacts that have themselves a large material cross section in order to handle larger currents (even to achieve faster charging) without the risk of overheating.

However, if the size of such contacts is increased, the insertion force generated during mating of the male and female contacts may also increase, which may adversely affect the ergonomics of the connector.

In the following, contributions to improving the ergonomics of power connectors are disclosed.

Disclosure of Invention

It is proposed to modify the female connector and in particular the female contacts of this type of connector.

More specifically, a female power contact is provided that is capable of receiving a male power contact for electrical connection in a connection direction. The female contact includes a front end and a rear end. The female contact includes a body and a bottom from a front end to a rear end thereof in a connecting direction. The body includes a shaft at a rear portion from which resiliently flexible ribs extend longitudinally toward a front end. Further, at least one rib includes a radially thinned section.

Thus, by means of the thinned section, the radial flexibility of the rib comprising such thinned section may be increased. As a result, by increasing the flexibility at the base of one or more ribs, the stiffness resulting from increasing the size of the ribs may be compensated for, and the force required to insert the male contact into the female contact may be reduced.

This contact may also optionally include one or more of the following features, which may be implemented independently or in combination with one or more other features:

the thinned section is located at the base of each rib at its junction with the shaft;

the thinned section extends over the entire width of the rib;

each of the ribs comprises a thinned section at its respective base at its junction with the shaft;

each thinned section extends partly over the shaft and partly over the rib in a direction parallel to the connection direction; alternatively, the respective thinned sections extend only over the ribs in a direction parallel to the connection direction;

each thinned section extends radially from the inner surface of the main body (which is considered to be the inner surface of the rib outside the thinned section) towards the outside of the main body;

each thinned segment has a shape complementary to a torus shape coaxial with a longitudinal axis parallel to the direction of connection;

the contact is made by bar-turning with a bar of electrically conductive material;

the contact comprises, in the vicinity of its front end, a ring coaxial with a longitudinal axis parallel to the connection direction, said ring being placed around the outer surface of the body and being elastically deformable radially;

the contact is substantially symmetrical about a longitudinal axis parallel to the connection direction;

-the inner diameter of the bottom is greater than or equal to the inner diameter of the shaft.

Drawings

Other features, objects and advantages of the aforementioned female contact will become apparent from reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings, given by way of non-limiting example and in which:

figure 1 schematically illustrates an example of one embodiment of a female contact in a perspective view;

figure 2 schematically illustrates, in perspective view and in longitudinal cross-section, the female contact shown in figure 1;

FIG. 3 is a graph showing normal contact force as a function of radial deformation of a rib of a prior art female contact; this prior art female contact differs from the female contact described with reference to fig. 1 and 2 in that this prior art female contact does not include a thinned region at the base of the rib; the curves of this graph correspond to a plurality of contact forces, respectively, each force being obtained for each rib of this prior art female contact;

FIG. 4 is a graph similar to FIG. 3; but are obtained for contacts such as those shown in figures 1 and 2.

Detailed Description

An example of one embodiment of the female contact 1 is described below.

The female contact 1 described below is used, for example, as a power supply contact in a charging receptacle of an electric vehicle or a rechargeable hybrid vehicle. In other words, it is intended to be electrically connected to a cable (not shown) and mounted in a charging socket housing (not shown). However, this type of female contact may be used for applications other than those corresponding to a charging receptacle.

The female contact 1 has substantially cylindrical symmetry about a longitudinal axis. Which is parallel to the axis or direction a of connection (or mating) of this female contact 1 with a male contact (e.g. a male contact of a plug mounted in a vehicle or on a charging terminal).

The female contact 1 is made, for example, by bar turning with a bar of conductive material such as copper alloy.

The female contact 1 comprises a front end 2 and a rear end 3 ("front" and "rear" refer to the direction of connection, the front end corresponding to the front end of a pin through which the male contact is inserted). The female contact 1 thus comprises, from its front end 2 to its rear end 3, a body 4 and a bottom 5. The body 4 is intended to receive and form an electrical connection with the pin of the male contact. The bottom 5 is intended to receive the free end of the cable and to form an electrical connection therewith.

The female contact 1 includes a shaft 6 at the rear of the body 4, and a resiliently flexible rib 7 extending longitudinally from the shaft 6 towards the front end 2.

The female contact 1 also optionally comprises one or more grooves 9 on its outer surface 8, each groove 9 being intended to house one seal in order to achieve tightness between the female contact 1 and the housing in which it is housed.

In the example shown in fig. 1, the body 4 comprises six ribs 7. However, in a variant, the number of ribs 7 may be different from six. Two adjacent ribs 7 are separated by a space 10 extending parallel to the connecting direction a. Each rib 7 has a length L, measured between the base 11 of the space 10 and its free end 12, of about 32 mm, for example. The width l of each rib, measured on the outer surface 8 in a direction perpendicular to the joining direction a, is substantially constant and is approximately 5 mm. The width l' of each rib, measured in the same direction on the inner surface 13, is about 3 mm.

In the vicinity of the front end 2, each rib 7 comprises a groove 14 inserted on its outer surface 8 and over its entire width l. This groove 14 allows to accommodate a ring 15 coaxial to the longitudinal axis parallel to the direction of connection. The ring 15 is not complete and is interrupted by a slit 18 extending parallel to the connecting direction a. The ring 15 is capable of radially elastic deformation (widening or narrowing the slit 18). For example, the inner radius of the ring varies between 6.45 mm and 6.55 mm. The ring 15 surrounds all the ribs 7 so as to elastically limit their radial deformation (towards the outside of the body 4). The thickness E' of the ribs 7 below (radially to) the ring 15 is comprised between 2.25 and 2.35 mm. Thus, in the case of a male contact whose radius is comprised between 4.45 mm or 4.50 mm, a radial displacement (i.e. (radius of male contact + thickness of rib under ring) -inner radius of ring) comprised between 0.15 mm and 0.40 mm is obtained.

In the vicinity of the front end 2, each rib 7 comprises a projection 16 on its inner surface 13. The shape of this projection 16 corresponds for example to a portion of the surface of a convex annular face coaxial with a longitudinal axis parallel to the direction of connection a. The projection 16 projects from the inner surface 13 of the rib 7 by, for example, 0.4 mm. The projection allows to establish a contact point with the pin of the male contact inserted between the ribs 7.

Near its rear end, at its base (in order to make maximum use of the torque), and therefore at its junction with the shaft 6, each rib 7 comprises a thinned section 17. In the example shown in fig. 1 and 2, all ribs 7 comprise such thinned sections 17. However, in variants, only one rib 7, or even only a single rib 7, in two or three, may comprise the thinned section 17.

The thinned segment 17 extends over the entire width l' of the respective rib 7. The thinned segment 17 also extends in a direction parallel to the connection direction a, only over each rib 7 (and not over the shaft 6). In other words, each thinned section 17 extends along each rib 7 from the base of the rib 7 towards its front or free end 12. Moreover, each thinned section 17 extends radially from the inner surface 13 of the body 4 (which is considered to be the inner surface of the rib 7 outside the thinned section). Thus, each thinned section 17 forms a recess in the inner surface 13 of each rib 17. The recess has a shape complementary to a torus, which is coaxial with a longitudinal axis parallel to the direction of connection. For example, the recess corresponds to a 2 mm radius tube looped on itself. The recess penetrates into the rib 7, for example, to more than 50% of the thickness E of the rib 7.

The bottom part 5 and the shaft 6 have substantially the same inner diameter. The bottom 5 allows to accommodate a free end of a cable with a cross-sectional area of, for example, 96 square millimeters.

The curves of fig. 3 and 4 allow to compare the normal contact force as a function of the radial deformation of the respective rib 7 (without thinned section) of the female contact of the prior art on the one hand, with the normal contact force as a function of the radial deformation of the respective rib 7 of the female contact described above on the other hand. The curves of the respective graphs each correspond to a different rib (the position of the rib relative to the slit 18 has an effect on the contact force).

As mentioned above, the radial displacement of the individual ribs may be comprised between 0.15 mm and 0.40 mm. In the graph of fig. 3, it can be seen that, for example, for a radial displacement of 0.15 mm, a normal contact force of up to about 15 newtons may be achieved, and for a radial displacement of about 0.4 mm, a normal contact force of about 35 newtons may be obtained.

In contrast, in the graph of fig. 4, it can be seen that with the thinner section 17, the normal contact force is about 5 newtons for a radial displacement of 0.15 mm, and the normal contact force does not exceed about 15 newtons for a radial displacement of 0.4 mm.

It is therefore clear that the thinned section 17 allows for a reduction in insertion force. Furthermore, it can be seen that the spacing between the curves is smaller when the ribs include thinned regions.

Claims

1. Female electrical power contact capable of receiving a male electrical power contact for electrical connection in a connection direction (a), the female contact (1) comprising a front end (2) and a rear end (3) and comprising, in the connection direction (a), a body (4) and a bottom (5) from the front end (2) to the rear end (3), in which contact the body (4) comprises a shaft (6) at the rear, an elastically flexible rib (7) extending longitudinally from the shaft (6) towards the front end, characterized in that at least one rib (7) comprises a radially thinned section (17).

2. A contact according to claim 1, wherein the thinned section (17) is located at a base (11) of each rib (7), the base (11) being located at the junction of the rib (17) and the shaft (6).

3. A contact according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the thinned section (17) extends over the entire width (l') of the rib (7).

4. A contact according to any preceding claim, wherein each of the ribs (7) comprises a thinned section (17) at its respective base (11) at its junction with the shaft (6).

5. A contact according to any preceding claim, wherein each thinned section (17) extends only over the rib (7) in a direction parallel to the connection direction (a).

6. A contact according to any preceding claim, wherein each thinned section (17) extends radially from the inner surface (13) of the body (4).

7. Contact according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein each thinned section (17) has a shape complementary to a torus shape coaxial with a longitudinal axis parallel to the connection direction (A).

8. A contact according to any preceding claim, made by bar turning with a bar of electrically conductive material.

9. Contact according to any one of the preceding claims, comprising, in the vicinity of its front end (2), a ring (15), the ring (15) being radially elastically deformable and coaxial with a longitudinal axis parallel to the connection direction (A), the ring being placed around an outer surface (8) of the body (4).

10. Contact according to any one of the preceding claims, which is substantially symmetrical about a longitudinal axis parallel to the connection direction (A).

11. A contact according to any preceding claim, wherein the inner diameter of the bottom (5) is greater than or equal to the inner diameter of the shaft (6).